We are pleased to announce that our Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership projects have been awarded a grant from the Davis Conservation Foundation!  The Davis Conservation Foundation is a public charitable foundation established in 1989 by Phyllis C. Davis and H. Halsey Davis of Falmouth, Maine, to support protection of the environment and conservation of our natural resources. The foundation was established following Mr. Davis’ retirement as President and Chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc. and has provided over $15.8 million in grants to conservation organizations since its founding in 1989.

The A.T. projects include two in Maine’s High Peaks and and two in the fabled 100-Mile Wilderness region just south of Katahdin.  These funds will aid the Land Trust’s effort to complete projects that are of national significance to the Appalachian Trail and will be critical for Maine’s recreational, economic and ecological future.

Thanks again to the Davis Foundations!  They have done incredible work in Maine over the years.

We are pleased to announce that the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust has received a grant from the Belayer Fund of the Maine Community Foundation!

The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust is currently working on four conservation projects for the Appalachian Trail Landscape Partnership, which aims to bring together public and private partners to connect and conserve the natural, ecological, cultural, historic, scenic, recreational, and community values of the exceptional landscape associated with the Appalachian Trail and the Appalachian Mountain Range. Maine has two A.T. Priority Landscapes designated by the Partnership (High Peaks and 100-Mile Wilderness) and the Land Trust is spearheading two projects in each of those regions.

We are grateful to MCF for their support of our conservation work, but more importantly all the work MCF helps fund in Maine.  In 2016, the Maine Community Foundation distributed $33.5 million in grants and scholarships from its charitable funds!

The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust had our final visit on the ground, rather than in the air, to the soon-to-be completed Redington Forest conservation easement area.  As a co-holder of the easement with the U.S. Navy via the REPI program, it is our responsibility to ensure that the baseline documentation is completed prior to the closing of the deal.  This effectively means that we are taking a snapshot – through photos but also data and analysis – of what the property looks like when it is conserved.  This will ensure that we, as stewards of the land in perpetuity, have an accurate picture of the conservation values we are aiming to protect.  In fifty years, people should be able to look to the baseline as a document by which stewardship standards can continue to be measured.

It’s also fun and exciting to get out on a new project area and do some exploring!  Just make sure that your truck has good tires when you head out on remote logging roads.  Thanks to board member Claire Polfus and board vice president Pete McKinley for coming along!

By Louise Jensen

It felt like a late summer day when four early morning risers and one spunky black lab named Shyla arrived at our meeting place in New Portland. From there we consolidated cars and drove another 30 minutes to the Appalachian Trail trailhead located on East Flagstaff Road.  We had a beautiful day ahead of us to hike Little Bigelow Mountain.

Little Bigelow is part of the Bigelow Range in Maine’s Bigelow Preserve. The Preserve is made up of over 36,000 acres of publicly-managed land near Stratton in Western Maine. This beautiful mountain range encompasses 7 summits including the 3,040 foot peak of Little Bigelow.  The first section of the hike rises gradually through a dense forest of hardwood alongside a brook that, under normal conditions, would be gushing along but in near-drought conditions showed many sections of the brook to be dry or at a trickle.  This was not welcome for some very late-season northbound through-hikers in search of a decent water supply whom we met later in the day.

We continued along the trail in a shimmering canopy of gold leaves overhead and then across some beautiful ledges where we had gorgeous views of Flagstaff Lake, eventually arriving at the East peak. From the East Peak we had amazing views of Sugarloaf and the rest of the Bigelow range. The warm temps, blue bird skies and the autumn fall colors all contributed to an idyllic setting for a long lazy lunch break on the ledges.

Before venturing out to the “true” and viewless summit, 2 southbound hikers stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes telling us that they did not start in Baxter park but just outside it which was rather curious. We soon learned why: a cat was traveling with them in a backpack!  Pets are not allowed in Baxter State Park, hence the outside-the-park start. The A.T. is filled with all sorts of wonders.

The hike along the trail to the summit was still quite lush and green for this time of year. We ventured a little further in search of another view of the Lake but instead found another ledge with yet another fabulous view of the range. As this supposed lake view was nowhere in sight, we opted to turn back before this hike turned into a 10 mile affair instead of a 6 or 7 mile one!

Tired but happy we headed back to the trailhead.  Everyone agreed that we had one of the most perfect days to be in the Maine mountains.

The Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust was fortunate to once again receive a donated conservation flight from LightHawk, an organization whose mission is to accelerate conservation success through the powerful perspective of flight.  Practically speaking, they get really awesome pilots to fly over some amazing landscapes and take conservation people with them so they can gather data, take photos, inspect properties and get a new and comprehensive view of the landscape.  We were fortunate to have pilot Scott Cianchette take us on a flight over Redington Forest and Maine’s High Peaks.  As part of our acquisition of a conservation easement, we are required to complete a baseline documentation report outlining the conservation values and features of the property.  Seeing all 10,000 acres from the air goes a long way towards doing that.

Thanks to Jonathan, Audrey, Scott and everybody at LightHawk for helping to get us up in the air.

Every year, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club hosts a hike for partner organizations who do work along Maine’s A.T.  This year, there were attendees representing MATC, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the National Park Service.  The purpose of the hike is to get partners out on the A.T. for a day of catching up, seeing the trail, and mostly unwinding from a busy season in the field.  This year the hike was up Little Boardman Mountain in the 100-Mile Wilderness, right in the KI-Jo Mary Forest.  A spectacular area for outdoor recreation, there are several ponds near Little Boardman and the views from the top are pretty good.  It was a great day in the field and a nice chance to reconnect with some good folks.